Before heading to New York, where he will attend the UN Security Council meeting on the renewal of the UNIFIL’s mandate, Caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib held a coordination meeting on Monday with Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.

The meeting focused on the points that Bou Habib intends to develop in order to put forward Lebanon’s point of view, which seeks to restrict the freedom of movement of UNIFIL soldiers in their areas of operation. Beirut wishes for the UNIFIL to coordinate with the Lebanese army in advance whenever it intends to carry out inspection missions.

This condition, put forward in the name of maintaining stability in the southern border area, is actually imposed at the request of Hezbollah, annoyed by the freedom of movement of UNIFIL patrols, which is specified in Security Council resolution 2650.

The pro-Iranian group even wants the Blue Helmets to be accompanied by the Lebanese army during their patrols.

However, the countries involved in the UNIFIL mission, particularly the donors, led by the United States, want to give the interim force more power and freedom of movement.

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